Janis Walsh

She was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in the United Kingdom on April 27, 1953 to Jack and Florence Slinger. Janis grew up in Shaw, Lancashire and graduated from Hollings College in 1971 as a hairdresser. Janis and Tony Walsh were married at St. James Church on October 4, 1975. They moved to Toronto, Ontario shortly after to start their married life together.

From 1975 to 1980 Janis and Tony shared an exciting time together in Toronto full of exploration and fancy dinners. In 1980, they decided to move to Vancouver as a short stopover on their way to Australia. However, they fell in love with this beautiful city and decided to settle here. Janis became a Canadian citizen in 1981.

Janis had two children, Claire and Andrew, and was an amazing mother to them both. Her empathetic nature and bubbly personality made her a natural people person. This led her to a life of working and volunteering within her community. She worked at Family Place from 1989 to 2003 and at the Disability Alliance from 2006 to present. Over the years she was an active volunteer with Sexsmith Elementary, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Marpole Community Center. Janis filled her life with the things she loved the most: people, food, games, art and laughter.

She leaves behind her beloved husband of 42 years Tony, her daughter Claire and son Andrew. She leaves a brother David, his wife Esther, nephew Sam and niece Kelly. She is survived by first cousin Richenda and her sons Jamie and John.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 pm on April 7, 2017 at Celebration Hall, 5455 Fraser Street, Vancouver. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Disability Alliance BC (www.disabilityalliancebc.org).